Discovering the Mormon Battalion

August 6, 2015 By Savannah Kate Shelley
They rose to their call to serve their God and country. The men, women and children of the Mormon Battalion were faithful individuals whose sacrificed so much to serve and to help settle the American West. They blazed a trail that blessed generations. Learn more about the Battalion, discover if any of your ancestors served, and read personal accounts and trail stories on the Mormon Battalion page. . .
They rose to their call to serve their God and country. The men, women and children of the Mormon Battalion were faithful individuals whose sacrificed so much to serve and to help settle the American West. They blazed a trail that blessed generations. Learn more about the Battalion, discover if any of your ancestors served, and read personal accounts and trail stories on the Mormon Battalion page. . .

Search for Ancestors
You may choose to begin your venture into the story of the Mormon Battalion by looking through your own family lines. The Mormon Battalion page offers a “My Ancestors” tab, which will automatically pull the names and records of anyone in your family tree that served in the battalion. As you click through the records of their lives and family information, these heroes will become very real to you. Even if you don’t have a direct line to any of the members of the Battalion, you can get to know these inspiring individuals by browsing the “Companies” tab, where the names and records of battalion members are listed.
You may choose to begin your venture into the story of the Mormon Battalion by looking through your own family lines. The Mormon Battalion page offers a “My Ancestors” tab, which will automatically pull the names and records of anyone in your family tree that served in the battalion. As you click through the records of their lives and family information, these heroes will become very real to you. Even if you don’t have a direct line to any of the members of the Battalion, you can get to know these inspiring individuals by browsing the “Companies” tab, where the names and records of battalion members are listed.

Discover Photos and Headstone Locations
Along with the names and basic vital information for battalion members, FamilySearch has also worked with BillionGraves to add headstone information where available. The headstones are linked to an interactive map. On an additional interactive map, visitors to the site are able to tour the 2,000-mile trek and learn about the experiences battalion members had along the way. A bibliography of sources where each person is mentioned is provided by the Mormon Battalion Association site to enrich the experience by providing reference information to more detailed Battalion stories and your ancestor’s participation, helping you to discover what these brave people struggled with, rejoiced in, and accomplished.
Along with the names and basic vital information for battalion members, FamilySearch has also worked with BillionGraves to add headstone information where available. The headstones are linked to an interactive map. On an additional interactive map, visitors to the site are able to tour the 2,000-mile trek and learn about the experiences battalion members had along the way. A bibliography of sources where each person is mentioned is provided by the Mormon Battalion Association site to enrich the experience by providing reference information to more detailed Battalion stories and your ancestor’s participation, helping you to discover what these brave people struggled with, rejoiced in, and accomplished.
Tell your Own Story
As you begin thinking about your family and how these strong-willed predecessors have impacted your life, you may feel inspired to share what makes you or your family pioneers. The Mormon Battalion page also includes a link to the #IAmAPioneer page where you’ll find simple tools to help you tell how you are a modern-day pioneer in your home, community, or country. Your stories will be preserved for future generations and will show others the way to follow, the same way that trail stories from the Mormon Battalion do. By sharing your story, others will get a glimpse of your life as a pioneer and be inspired in their own journey.
Come visit the Mormon Battalion page.
As you begin thinking about your family and how these strong-willed predecessors have impacted your life, you may feel inspired to share what makes you or your family pioneers. The Mormon Battalion page also includes a link to the #IAmAPioneer page where you’ll find simple tools to help you tell how you are a modern-day pioneer in your home, community, or country. Your stories will be preserved for future generations and will show others the way to follow, the same way that trail stories from the Mormon Battalion do. By sharing your story, others will get a glimpse of your life as a pioneer and be inspired in their own journey.
Come visit the Mormon Battalion page.